memory_gammafandomcom-20200214-history
Story:Lieutenant Allan Hood, Chief Science Officer, Personal Log
[https://memory-gamma.fandom.com/wiki/Story:Star_Trek:_Lexington Logs from Star Trek: Lexington] {[PAGENAME}} Stardate: 58776.13; Sunday, October 11, 2381, Time: 06:53:55 Lieutenant Allan Hood, Chief Science Officer, USS Lexington As my first official log entry, I might as well start with my admission into Starfleet Academy. I received a recommendation for the Academy from Captain Benjamin Sisko. This was mostly due to the fact that he my father, Lee Hood, since Sisko was his commanding officer and friend since the Battle of Wolf 359. They served on the USS Saratoga together and was a member of the team that developed the USS Defiant at Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards on Mars. Even though my parents are against me joining Starfleet, due to the distance and potential danger, such as the Borg or whatever else is out here, they respected my decision, seeking Sisko’s recommendation. Sisko made it clear that he’s only recommending me because of my dedication to the sciences and his trust and respect in my father’s character and ability in engineering. No pressure. I didn't fully appreciate who Sisko was until we learned about his political skill with the Bajorans, in class, and experiencing his tactical strategies during the Dominion War. Until then, I just looked at him as an old friend of my father's with really bad Borg experience. After being accepted, I went through the Academy entrance competition exams. I was so nervous, I couldn’t study well and didn’t sleep the night before. The infamous “psych test,” really got my attention. I have a profound fear of losing my family, probably enhanced by all the Borg and Xindi stories I heard growing up, ironically, to discourage me from Starfleet. Which brings me to marrying Samantha-Josephine while at the Academy. My parents were hopeful I’d drop out as a result, but I kept going. Then, after my daughters Gracie and Donna were born, my parents figured I’d leave Starfleet for sure, which obviously I didn’t. My parents couldn’t figure why I wanted my wife and children to join me on the Lexington, but, as the psych test showed, I’m afraid of losing them, which includes, afraid of being away from them. I couldn’t choose between Starfleet or family, so I chose both. Now, I understand my father's decision to take us with him aboard the Saratoga to explore Sector 002. I also took up fencing while at the Academy, to build on my father's teaching. After centuries of my family passing on the teachings of the 14th-century master Johannes Liechtenauer, training with a cutlass was a bit like changing gears. It was an honor to train in the same facility as Hikaru Sulu, founder of the Starfleet Academy’s European Swordsmanship club. Just before graduation, I received my Concealed Weapon License for my Retractable Cutlass, permission to carry it in a concealed manner, even on away missions. People seem to be uncomfortable with the idea that I have it. They don't understand the family tradition and honor that it represents with our family. After joining the Academy, a friend, which will remain nameless, helped me find my father’s records, which wasn't accessible to me, at the time. We found out that my father helped rescue Sisko’s son, after a Bolian, I can't remember his name, passed Sisko into his arms. He never talked about that. On a lighter note, everyone was proud I finally graduated and everything, huge ceremony, it was amazing. Captain Geordi La Forge, a legend, gave a stirring commencement about passion and dedication to Starfleet’s principles, even when being against the odds. He closed with “the best advice” he could give, from meeting Captain Montgomery Scott. “Starship captains are like children; they want everything right now and they want it their way. The secret is to give them what they need, not what they want.” I can’t believe I actually got to see La Forge, after studying so much of what he and Captain Scott accomplished. I hadn't been in a position to apply that mantra during the war. Now, as Chief Science Officer, I might have a chance, if that situation comes up. As for the Lexington, the science labs are state-of-the-art, with labs focusing on everything from stellar cartography, astrometrics, and warp-field theory, to quantum mechanics, temporal mechanics, and holographic research. Based on my assignment, I'm guessing I’ll be dancing between the warp-field, astrometrics, and temporal mechanics labs, when not on alpha-shift bridge duty, and unless the captain or commander say otherwise. I'm looking forward to experimenting with Chronitons, coaxial warp fields, and my favorite, temporal mechanics. I'm going to miss talking about religion and spirituality with the Bajorans, being such a spiritual people. We had a couple Bajorans meditate with us and we’ve visited the Bajoran Temple on the Promenade of DS9 hoping to have an orb experience, which we didn't get to have. Our beliefs have a lot of similarities. Since December of 2375, after the Battle of Cardassia, I was assigned to Cardassia Prime for humanitarian aid after planet’s massive devastation of infrastructure, death of eight hundred million civilians, and over seven million troops. My assignment was to clean excess antimatter radiation from the planet’s surface and the atmosphere, being extremely hazardous to humanoid life, in general. After six years of being stationed on Cardassia, I finally get to do what I signed up for so long ago, explore the final frontier. No more scanning and cleansing antimatter radiation, no more hazardous conditions, and no more dodging degenerative health problems. I had enough of all that with my science project and Academy internship back home in Calusa, Florida. Being attacked and dealing with radiation was something I was able to bond with the Cardassians over, one of the reasons I was given that particular assignment. Though it didn't happen to me directly, my family passed on stories of the Xindi attack for generations. Though Starfleet officially describes it as an "incident," generations of stories detail otherwise. Originally, I decided to join Starfleet to be part of Starfleet’s effort of exploration of “strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations” in 2370, three years before the Dominion War began. Little did I know I’d be serving in the last two years of the Dominion War, and be part of the Restoration of Cardassia, for six years. Finally, it begins. Stardate: 58784.36; Wednesday, October 14, 2381, Time: 06:59:36 Lieutenant Allan Hood, Chief Science Officer, USS Lexington I think my resolute attitude and determination were skewed by accidental smugness and arrogance. I feel that Sami-Jo and I were ready to venture this far into the unknown after being assigned to Cardassia for six years...but are we? There seems to be some tension between Captain Thoms and the commander, Niko Baagh, a Caitian. Commander Baagh has since both scolded us for our performance and apologized for that same scolding. The crew is having a hard time reading our first officer, both because his facial features are hidden under a mask of fur and that his culture is so different from much of the crew. Anyway, we'll be approaching Dorvan V in a couple days, our first stop before hitting uncharted space. I'm interested to see how the colonists have been surviving, partially underground. Through their current struggle to survive, they somehow managed to construct some form of algaculture, by farming a species of native algae for their food and energy. Starfleet's hoping that installing replicators and power sources will be able to get them back on their feet. On Deep Space Nine, my family was relatively safe, while I was on Cardassia. We had predictable problems with predictable solutions. Our next couple stops, skirting along the border of Cardassian Space, ought to have predictable problems with predictable solutions...but what's next? More attacks? Failed diplomacy? And what about afterward in uncharted space? I still can't help feeling a growing sense of anxiety for what awaits us. Though we considered these things prior to our decision, our excitement due to the opportunity to explore the unknown may have overrode my better senses. I couldn't imagine going on this mission without my family, but the reality of our situation and our mission is sinking in a bit more. We would have been around Dorvan V days ago, but the Orion attack and our repairs held us back a bit. I'm looking forward to getting this show on the road. Category:USS Lexington Category:Allan Hood